


A Flower For His Lapel

by SeaTempest



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Aerith will basically be a sweetheart with all Turks in these, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Little bit of Angst too but not too much, Not a surprise for anyone, One Shot, Reno swears a little
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-07-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:29:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25473151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaTempest/pseuds/SeaTempest
Summary: Aerith has a small accident in the church and Reno is forced to help her tend the flowers.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough/Reno, Aerith Gainsborough/Rude, Aerith Gainsborough/Tseng
Comments: 3
Kudos: 32





	A Flower For His Lapel

It was a fine day. A perfect day. She couldn’t wait to go to the church that morning so that she could go take care of her flowers and grabbed all the tools, put them in her basket, and left the house before Elmyra had even woken up. The sunlight had just started to caress the rooftops as she walked down the path and greeted the children from the Leaf House who had risen the earliest to see her. They knew she always went down to the church on the weekends.

The Slums were still quiet, as it usually was this early, so she didn’t hurry. Since Aerith noticed the lilies tended to grow and flourish in that church a few years ago, she decided to look after them occasionally, especially during springtime, but lately, she didn’t have any time for them. It’s been weeks and yesterday she finally swore to go visit the church. It promised to be a fine day anyway.

Aerith let out a deep sigh when she looked up to see the last remaining point of the church’s spire, reflecting the sun. Squinting against the flare, she felt a whiff of melancholy through her when she saw that the building was abandoned and lonesome. Such a lovely place. The air filled with the flowers' sweetness and she breathed in cheerfully, palm pushing in the slightly ajar gate when she finally reached it, stepping in.

The sound of flitter resounded, a flitter of wings. The light-colored pigeons were making their homes somewhere up in the crevices of the roof. Her chuckle vibrated through the vacant air as she walked down the aisle with a content smile on her lips. Up to the middle, at least. Then she got the weird, uncomfortable feeling of being watched and turned on heels. It was Reno this time, he leaned back on one of the columns and she couldn't believe she didn't see him on her way in.

“Hi,” Reno scanned her from head to toe and grinned, “long time no see.”

Aerith sighed tiredly and turned around again, walking to the other side where her flowers waited. Those guys again. She didn’t know what the point of them was anyway _—_ they didn’t scare her, didn’t talk much with her either. Refused to share anything, didn’t care what she shared with them either. It was annoying, really. They just occasionally showed up and observed her, rather stalked her _—_ cause she could really _feel_ when they sometimes tracked her down the roads _—_ or watched her do her everyday treks through the Slums. They didn’t try to be subtle but didn’t answer any of her questions either. For some reason, they mostly cared for her safety… and that was it.

Overall, her interactions with them were absolutely fruitless and she gave up on trying to understand what was going on. Yes, she had a vague idea of why this all played out. Tseng had given her a basic and curt explanation _why_ , but it was still annoying. Good thing was, they didn’t bother her all that much. Especially Reno. He was the one she had managed to have the longest normal conversations with. Very vague and very confusing but a conversation nonetheless. Better than the other two. The other two were just hopeless.

Aerith didn’t reply to his greeting at all, already busy setting a place for herself among the flowers and pulling all her tools out. She didn’t plan to let anyone ruin her day so she just ignored him in the next hour, singing quietly to herself as she put her jacket away and started pulling out weeds, turning the soil and cutting whatever harder roots have taken hold and were draining the life out of her lilies. 

For quite some time, Reno let out puffs and huffs and low, groaning sounds of exasperation at her cheerful melodies; tapping on the wood rhythmically, eyes running over the old vault arches over his head. He was lying on one of the church benches, drowning in boredom, just like he did last time she saw him. And the time before. Hanging around her definitely wasn’t the most interesting activity for him, but considering he got paid to lie around and groan too, she would’ve considered it a win.

"Ouch," a hiss of pain came out her mouth when she got too distracted and didn’t realize the shears have cut a little through her skin.

She hissed in pain all the time, to tease him, but this time she held the shears in a wrong way and it backfired. Maybe he won’t be too mad about it when he saw she wasn’t messing around this time. At least he’d be less bored too, though.

"What happened _now_ —?" his young voice resounded with additional emphasis.

"It's nothing!” Aerith chimed, looking up at him in the distance, hands beneath his head. “Just a cut.”

Reno's eyes widened in an instant and he jumped off the bench, hurrying to her side.

Aerith still sat right in the middle of the puddle of yellow flowers, the basket and grass shears right next to her as she furrowed at her hand. He couldn't see well so he was forced to step into the flower circle, comically careful not to step on any of them (because, to his greatest astonishment, she had managed to give him a light slap the first time he trampled over them) and lean over her shoulder. There was a wide cut over three of her fingers and the drops of blood gathered and plopped down on the grass. She turned a little, over her shoulder, to catch the worry twist his features.

"Shit, how is this n— _I swear,_ you're the worst," Reno groaned and kneeled next to her, carefully taking her hand in his to look at it better. "How'd you even manage to do that, this only happens to babies! Aren't you, like, twenty?"

"I'll be fine, I just don't think I have any bandages around," she hummed, looking up to the attic where she kept some of her things. "Now that I think about it… Don’t even have any sticking plaster."

Without fretting any further, she took her watering pot and poured some of the water on the wound, wincing a little. At least she could clean the wound a little with what she got.

"Jeez, what a pain," Reno caught the rim of his shirt, tearing a long patch from the fabric without a second thought.

Aerith raised a brow, tilting her head at him. "Isn't that… expensive?"

"Cheaper than _you_ , Princess," Reno retorted, gesturing at her to extend her hand and she did, with a blooming smile on her lips.

He sighed, murmuring how much he hates being a babysitter and held her by the wrist while wrapping the improvised bandage around her fingers as slowly and as carefully as he could. The morning light from the wide windows fell over their side of the church and the stained glass painted it into a variety of soft colors.

She was sitting with her back to the windows from which the sun came but Reno was across her, bathed in the dappled light and curiously, fitting in it more than she would've thought he would. The only thing that hindered the view was the black jacket. It was too formal, too dark, it ruined the softness of the tones. She wished he would remove it. Bright colors suited him better.

He noticed her continuous observation but said nothing. Just scoffed.

"You're very pretty in the sun, Reno," she acknowledged calmly, and he didn’t react at first; she thought that maybe he didn’t hear her. "Just like my flowers."

He stirred out of his thoughts, looking up with a little squint. "Huh?"

Aerith chuckled at his puzzled expression. "I said, you're very pretty."

"Course I'm pretty," he snorted, continuing to wrap the fabric until he didn't reach the end and paused for a moment to figure out a way to tuck and fasten it so that it's secure, delicately turning her wrist in his hands. All his motions were as if she was made of thin glass. "Say something new." 

Putting a finger on her cheek, she narrowed eyes in deep thought. The silence extended and he glanced up to see her still staring at him with that weird look. Then furrowed in disapproval. Searching thoroughly through the catalog in her mind paid off, she got what she needed. Soft red leaves, green core. Some darker dots here and there. "You remind me of a Stargazer Lily."

 _"Hey!"_ he stopped his bandaging again, to snap at her properly, "I am not a flower _,_ ok? I'm a dangerous man."

Aerith bit her lip, to stifle the laughter bubbling inside her, but her body trembled with the amusement. He finished with the bandage and folded hands, scowling at her.

"The wound needs proper treating. You can't stay here for much longer like that, you need to go home."

"Can't." Aerith shrugged. "I promised I'll take care of them today."

Reno murmured a quick _Right._ under his breath and relaxed down on the grass into a more comfortable position. The lilies reflected the faint beams with pure, soft light of their own and they both fell distracted by the surrounding view. It was rare when she got the time to visit the church lately and she always forgot how breathtaking they were in the mornings. Reno's presence was an interesting addition as he gave out a dense... minty scent and it intermingled with the flowers very unnaturally. 

"Why do you keep saying you _talk_ with the flowers? Are you sure these are not people you've cursed?" he pointed at the lilies around them, "Cause it's beginning to freak me out."

"They can hear you too, you know," Aerith explained, "And yes, if you're being mean, I won't hesitate to turn you into a Stargazer. You're halfway one anyway."

"Excuse me? I am _not,_ " Reno opened his mouth to object further, but then closed it, with a new terror on his face. "Wait a minute, did you just confirm you're cursing people into flowers?"

"Mmm," she intoned, shifting closer to him with a smile, eyes focusing on one side, then on the other, scrutinizing his features with precision he wasn't quite comfortable with. His gleaming eyes constricted with a small tic when she leaned in to gaze into them curiously. She didn’t miss the quick glance down the open cleavage of her dress too. "Maybe."

Before he could say anything, a little dumbfounded by her boldness, she ensconced right next to him and reached for the pot and the scissors again. "Uh, no," he immediately grabbed them from her hands with a shake of his head, "I don't wanna be patching you up with _my_ expensive shirt all day. It’s ruined enough… thanks to _you_."

"I need to uproot all the weeds and cut through all other plants that suffocate the lilies," Aerith objected, with a furrow of concern. "Then, I'll go home."

Reno looked straight into her eyes, more confused by her stubbornness than anything. She didn’t expect him to understand what the flowers meant to her. Or what power they had. He was unfamiliar with their special light, but she presumed he was probably ordered to not upset her among other things. So she knew he’d comply, even though he looked like he didn’t want to do it. Or be there in the first place. In fact, he was very clear on the fact that he didn’t like her persona much.

He looked over the flowers and she waited for the final verdict. The determination flashed in his eyes. "I'll do it,” he said, freeing the clasp of his tight-fight jacket and slowly removing it under her sparkling, viridian gaze. The mischievous smile twitched on her rosy lips when he slowly curled up his sleeves so that they don’t stain. By the looks of him, he enjoyed her silent admiration a little bit too much. That must’ve just been the highlight of his day.

“Like what you see, huh?”

Aerith averted her eyes, handing him the shears while she went on with pulling out weeds with her unwounded hand, keeping the other one close to her body. “I’ve seen better.” She didn’t raise her eyes to see his reaction, but his breath hitched in a very odd way into the silence. It felt like he stared at her from time to time, even though she heard him shift and help her with the weeds for a while. If he was in any way aggravated, she couldn’t tell. The quietness sure was a bad sign with Reno.

“So, what’d your flowers say?” he cut in, and she stopped to look up to him. Curious, he had never initiated a conversation with her so freely before. He sounded standoffish, with forced politeness to his words. He didn’t look at her either, busy with what she had assigned him to do. The strands of his hair fell right into his eyes when he leaned in so he tried to push them away impatiently, but they fell back down right away.

“Well,” she began, with a cheerful tone, touching at the leaves of the one right in front of her, “This one said you have pretty eyes.”

“I’m out of your league, sweetie,” Reno clicked his tongue, looking at the flower, and Aerith pressed her lips together. For someone that said he was freaked out by her conversations with the flowers a few minutes ago, it surely came naturally to _him._ He brushed his forehead with the back of his hand absently and caught her looking.

"And this one," she quickly pointed at the one next to his knee, "Sorry… he said you're a punk and he hates your hair color."

Right after her words resonated with him, Reno fixed on staring daggers at the flower in particular. The simmering wrath gathered in his green eyes with every second, until he finally decided to speak, releasing the air he had been holding so far, "Shut the fuck up, no one asked for your opinion."

 _"Shh,"_ her hand quickly reached for his mouth and covered it, while the other intrusively leaned on his thigh, continuing in half-tone, half-whisper, "Don't say that, you'll hurt his feelings.

"What about _my_ feelings?” he was ready to cut through the lily in two if it wasn’t for Aerith to close her fingers around his wrist and stop him.

“Reno,” she said, and it was enough to erase all his wrath within a second. By the time he met her eyes again, he had abandoned his intentions completely and she slowly let go and backed away, smiling at him calmly. He wasn’t moving, staring back as if lost for a moment. As if he waited on her to say what he’s supposed to do. But then he snapped out of it, glaring at the flower a bit more before moving on to another. It was a tad taller than the others and stood out.

"What does that one say?"

Aerith leaned in again, her ear closer to the flowers’ bells. The smile emerged on her lips as she backed away and sighed. Reno looked her over, maybe already convinced that she's deranged. Then she hummed to herself, looking down at the flower with a dreamy, thoughtful look. Reno was patiently waiting for a reply still, to her wonder, and he got it. She readjusted and closed in to touch his cheek with her lips and back away again to catch him freeze completely, eyes widening. It took him a while before he found the right words.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

“The flowers told me you’re very sad on the inside. They said a kiss could fix it.” Aerith announced, peering into his seafoam eyes with curiosity. “Did it?”

He was taken aback by her words. For a moment, he seemed to sink in within the silence and just let her be so close without it bothering him. His eyes sharpened then, she saw the common sense flush through and the momentary confusion in them caving in. Then he gasped quietly, sharply standing up and grabbing his jacket in the process. He backed away the way he would back away from a stinging pain, nearly stumbling at the wooden edge and furrowing at her.

“What is it?” She was not sorry. The way he gave in, so easily and so comfortably… it was what she usually did with people and the effects this stopped surprising her. But some people didn’t like being transparent. Some got angry. “Are you alright?”

“None of your damn business,” he snapped, looking away and putting his jacket angrily. He was flushed angry, actually, pacing away from her with a heavy strut.

“Reno, please come back.”

“No,” he prolonged the syllable dramatically, taking his previous seat on the wooden bench with his back to her. “I am done playing... _witch_. Cut your stupid weeds yourself.”

“I promise I’ll be good,” Aerith saddened and it reflected in her words, quieting down at the end, “Sorry if I offended you or anything, I just wanted to talk. Plus, you’re really cute.”

“Shut up! I am _not_ cute and I’m pretty sure I'm not a _fucking plant_ either _,”_ she saw him gesture indefinitely like he was convincing himself of it above anyone else, and it made her open up a small pause before speaking up again.

“Yes, you are,” Aerith chuckled to herself, looking down at her hand, “You are one of the cutest guys I’ve seen, actually! You should come back here, you know,” she stopped, then added it, “I don’t bite!”

“ _I_ do!” Reno yelled.

“...please?”

The silence extended and she looked over to where he was standing, wondering whether she was bound to spend the whole day on her own again. If he had decided to stop putting up with her, then he’d shut up and not say a single word until the rest of the day. He’d just watch her, with a very cunning, cold look in his eye. He’s done it before and she didn’t like it. It’d remind her of the dark nature of his profession and it’d kill her mood entirely.

Shame. He had the potential to be so bright. It was gushing from him in waves, she could feel it. Of course, he had pushed it down, as they all had. It made her sad all over again.

“Will you come back if I promise to not ask any questions? I’ll… keep it quiet.” Aerith tried again, but before she could say anything more he had returned, flinging back down next to her with a scowl. He didn’t remove the jacket this time.

Aerith smiled warmly. Whatever, he could pout all he wanted. Her fingers slowly closed around the base of the stem of the closest lily and picked it up, smelling the strong, creamy scent of it. Then she reached out, making him pull away quickly, ready to protest, but when she saw the sadness on her features he exhaled sharply and looked away, allowing her to get closer.

Cautious, she caught the lapel in his suit and slowly pushed down the flower until it fit nicely. It really added a lot of charm to his already colorful appearance. The yellow uplifted the darkness of his jacket, suddenly. It still appeared clean but with a tinge of festivity. That was more like him. She really had a flair for style, didn’t she?

“Done,” she said, and he looked down at it with a furrow, “Isn’t it pretty?”

“Nope,” Reno announced, making her furrow at him in her place. “But I’ll keep it ‘cause you won’t shut up about it all day. Happy?”

The conclusive joy on her features must’ve pleased him because the tension in him was gone the moment she smiled. “Happy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! As we've just recently established all the Turks wear specific retro-style suits with flower lapels, I decided to give one flower story to all three of them.


End file.
